Glimpse
by ciastulek
Summary: Chloe has gotten under his skin. Oliver’s POV. Somewhere between Requiem and Hex with hints of Bloodline. “Pretty much” ; sticks to the canon. One shot.


**Author: ciastulek****  
****Title: Glimpse****  
****Fandom: Smallville****  
****Characters: Chloe Sullivan/Oliver Queen****  
****Word Count: 3304****  
****Rating: PG-13****  
****Summary: **Chloe has gotten under his skin. Oliver's POV. Somewhere between Requiem and Hex with hints of Bloodline. "Pretty much" ;) sticks to the canon. One shot.

**Warnings/Spoilers: **I wrote it about a month ago so any spoilers to Beast are simple coincident. This is actually my first fanfic ever written and it's kind of a prequel to "Paper Solitude". And thankfully to my wonderful beta I hope you won't have to choke on my grammar etc, etc, etc. ;)

**Ps. Thanks to KaraHalliwell for an amazing icon!**

"_It was Brainiac. Not me_."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, hurt and disappointment reflecting behind her tears. She didn't even seem shocked that he'd known. Well, that was one of the things he admired about her so much. She simply couldn't pull off the act. She was the first one to set things straight as they were without any hypocrisy. He noticed, at that very moment, that she didn't even have to process it, reconsider all of her and his actions or compare it. Honesty was just plain natural with her.

_Plain natural that her soul was bare in front of him_. The thought hit him hard. It made it even worse. The guilt felt even heavier. She was one more reason he couldn't look at himself in the mirror that night. _Or maybe the only reason…_

Those green, tearful eyes haunted him each time he thought about her ever since. As God was his witness he tried not to. He did everything to clear his mind of anything related to Chloe. It was strange actually; up to that moment she was the last person he'd have thought could get under his skin. Especially given the circumstances of their last conversation. In his wildest dreams he would never have bet that the first thing to come to his mind after finally ridding the world of its Lex plague would be Chloe's stricken expression… She definitely spoiled all the fun.

Oliver grimaced at the bad joke and sighed caressing lightly the surface of his bow. He reached out and picked up the closest arrow. The touch of the still, cold, sleek metal calmed him down a bit. As always.

He felt annoyed at her lack of support and angry at himself for his vexation. It shouldn't even matter to him, right? But it did. He couldn't deny it anymore. He might have asked her, that fatal night at Isis, about Clark, but it was her acceptance Oliver was seeking at Isis. For some reason, somewhere along the road, her opinion has started to matter to him. And the hurt crossing her face, caused by him… It had taken all of his damn billionaire's manipulation schooling in manipulation to plow on with his act. He hated himself immediately for hurting her. She was their Watchtower after all. One of them. Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, she was a member of the team of heroes fighting for the justice. It was in that part of his life where he didn't allow himself to act like a heartless bastard, as he often had to from 9 to 5 . His team was the only semblance of family he had, regardless of how pitiful it sounded…

"OK" her voice brought him out of his reverie "I think I have it. I'll just save the encrypted file for you to use later." She continued tapping on the keyboard, her back still to him.

He wasn't sure asking her to come to his place few days after Lex's death was good idea, but he couldn't stand this turmoil anymore. He just had to do something, anything. So he'd decided to take the bull by the horns. He didn't even have to come up with any lame excuses. There was plenty of real work for her at JLA, but he had to admit, he'd felt a little insecure about her willingness to help him. Luckily for them, she was all professional and completely available, as always when it came to their secret jobs. He wasn't sure it was lucky for him, though, because the very moment she stepped out of the elevator into his apartment, he could tell something had changed between them. She didn't feel comfortable around him anymore, and he knew instantly that it was the same thing that was troubling him.

"Just one more thing and I'm done," she said, clicking the mouse and turning around in his chair. "Unless you have something else?" Her brow lifted as she let herself finally meet his heavy gaze. He could tell it took some of her nerve to hold it, but she finally looked away, swallowing hard. Chloe started picking up her things from the desk. Oliver watched her from his gear room. He put away the arrow and walked up to the balcony railing, closing the clock doors in the process. He simply stood there, silence filling the space, becoming more uncomfortable with each passing second. Finally, she stood up and turned to him with one hand on her purse.

"Alright Queen, that's it!" She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Spit it out already!"

He lifted one brow in amusement. Now that was the Chloe he knew - straight to the case.

"Why am I here, Oliver? Because it surely wasn't for the file. You could have sent it to my mailbox…" She looked away, her voice not spunky enough to match her words. She simply fell silent, waiting for him, and he just didn't know how to bring up the subject.

"Please, don't look at me like that," she pleaded in small voice, and when she met his gaze his stomach twisted. There it was again. That look that haunted him.

"What do you mean?" he asked warily.

"You know what I mean," Oliver. Her voice was bitter and quiet. "I saw the way you were looking at me that night at Isis. With such disdain…" her voice broke a little "I… um, just know that I understand if you don't want me to help you anymore. After all, now that Lex is gone, I'm kind of one of the guys you actually fight against." She blinked rapidly, looking away. After a moment she gathered up her purse and pushed herself from his desk. "I mean, it's OK. That would only be fair, so…"

Oliver simply stared at her, not quite able to understand what she was saying. Upon his silence, Chloe simply turned to the elevator and started walking away. The fast clicking of her heels on the marble floor brought him to reality and he shot after her, reaching her in two strides. He spun her around, his grip firm above her elbow.

"Are you serious?!" he asked incredulously.

She gasped, startled by his sudden movement, but answered in the same deflated manner.

"I'm deadly serious, Oliver." She tilted her head, drawing her lips in thin line. "I killed a man in cold blood…" she choked on the words and the tears she had fought so desperately, finally fell "and…, and it wasn't…"

She couldn't say anything else because Oliver crushed her in his embrace, holding her tightly when the first sob shot trough her body. She clutched her hands at his chest, fighting for self-control, and after a moment she pushed him away and moved few steps back.

"Please don't, Oliver." She shook her head still crying, "Sebastian Kane was not Lex Luthor, ok? He didn't deserve to die. He was one of his victims actually. I… I was supposed to be helping people like him, not..." she paused abruptly, as if she couldn't bring herself to say it, in fear of braking down again "I'm not worth…"

"Oh just cut that crap, Sullivan!" he gritted out angrily. "We both know that this guy was a killer! And you can mope at the Kent barn. That is, if the 'black and white only' Clark would still want you around him after he knew what you did to protect him!"

Chloe flinched at his words, and Oliver kicked himself inwardly for adding to her misery. He threw his arms in the air and turned away from her, exasperated.

"Damn it, Chloe!" He couldn't face her yet, knowing exactly the incredulous look she would be giving him. Just like back there, at the hospital, when he had asked her not to tell Clark about his intentions, hoping that she, of all people, would understand and trust HIM for a change. He'd had to swallow it then, but he couldn't fight the hurt any more, and anger boiled in him. "This is _your_ life! When the hell will you see that it's about time you start judging things on your own, huh?"

"I… I'm not sure what you're talking about, Oliver," she stammered in a shaky voice, but seeing his furious stance she straightened her shoulders "but the last time I checked, I believe, I was pretty capable of an independent assessment."

"Well, I beg to differ, but the last time _I _checked, I found myself lying unconscious in the next room from your possessed and bleeding body!" Each single word carried him one step closer to her and only when he found himself bending over her startled face, did he realise that he was practically yelling. He reached for her shoulders and steadied himself against her. Closing his eyes to calm down, he realised that this probably wasn't the best way to say "I'm sorry"… But he just couldn't help remembering her back on that day, when Clark and Lois went missing.

***

"_I need you to steal a piece of equipment, Oliver," Chloe had asked him, explaining her unbelievable plan to save their friends. For some strange reason, Clark and Lois MIA hadn't bothered him as much as Chloe's behaviour. He had already been worried about her behaviour after his nearly deadly intoxication. Not that he hadn't been grateful for saving hid life, but the kind of research she performed, having so little time and even less details to start with… and the fact that Clark definitely hadn't told him everything… He had started to suspect that there was even more to the healer Sidekick than he was let on. And then there she was, asking him... no, demanding... that he help her, when everything in him told him to stay out of it. He had tried to brush off her reasoning, to talk her out of it but she simply refused to be dismissed. And when she'd stood there, all steely determination, he just couldn't ignore it anymore._

"_What are you not telling me, huh?"_

"_I don't have time to explain all this. Are you going to steal that generator or not?"_

_The only thing he could do was to making sure she didn't get hurt in the process. Well, not that he would have refused what was probably his only chance to find out what was going on with her. He half expected her to give up on it. After all, how could a mere human know such things?! But there he was, standing next to her, totally dumbfounded, watching her actually 'hack' into the alien crystal. Disbelief quickly turned into fear, when he'd noticed the blood trickling down her face, and when her eyes turned white, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin. The moment, when he realised that she was sliphing out of his control, that she was beyond his ability to save her, almost had him panicked. And somehow the vision of a super alien kicking his ass for her transgression wasn't even his greatest concern. But then when he had tried to stop her, his worst fear had turned in to reality and his petite Watchtower had sent him flying across the room into oblivion._

***

Oliver felt her trembling as well in his grasp, her warm, sweet scent suddenly enveloping him. He opened his eyes to find her face so close to his, that he almost forgot what he was so mad about. Almost.

"You could have told me, you know? Would it hurt you so much to open to _me_?"

Her brows knitted. Her big, uncomprehending eyes searched his, and he braced himself when understanding finally lit them. She blinked, and one tear fell down the curve of her cheek.

"You know it's not that easy, Oliver." she whispered.

"What I know is that you spend way too much time around Clark. You're picking up that egocentric play-solo habit of his, Watchtower." There it was. He had finally said it.

Oliver let go of her and shoved his fists into pockets. "Just because he's an alien, doesn't mean you have to alienate yourself."

For a moment, it looked like she wanted to say something but, she closed her mouth and bit her lip.

He sighed and turned away from her, shaking his head slightly. He took few steps toward his balcony window and looked outside with unseeing eyes. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to use that argument in order to placate her, but then again, it was Chloe after all. What else should he expect… He turned to face her again and tried a different approach. "How long do you think I knew about Kane, Chloe?"

Her eyes snapped back to his with sudden attention. He watched, transfixed, as the wheels in her head started turning and he couldn't help feeling grateful for this, despite having himself dangerously exposed. The bitten super alien's Sidekick was transforming back into his favourite Chloe-reporter mode.

"And how exactly did you find out, Oliver?" he smirked at her question. "As far as I'm concerned you weren't even playing Robin Hood back then."

Oliver just grinned. He couldn't' help it.

"Well, you know..." he glanced around the space of the penthouse above her head before returning to her narrowed eyes, "... we all have our ways, don't we, Chloe?

He was still smiling, for he knew this would absolutely not satisfy her perked up curiosity, so he continued with his fabricated alibi. He moved a little closer.

"You know me, Chloe." His tone was not casual enough for her to miss the double meaning of his simple statement. He sighed, fighting down the feeling of being so exposed and vulnerable upon her knowing look. It was something that no Super Hero with dual identity would ever get used to, he supposed. Oliver cleared his throat. "I just wanted to make sure that Lois was safe, and when I'd found out that her attacker was dead I just couldn't help myself… You know that feeling, don't you?"

Another innuendo, this time intentional, to divert her attention. It worked, and he cursed himself inwardly at the guilt flashing in her eyes again.

"Whatever, right?" He changed the subject quickly closing the space between them "What matters is that I'd known long enough, and it didn't changed the way I felt about you. Maybe you are afraid of what Clark would think about you or anyone else…"

Chloe suddenly looked panicked and Oliver's eyes narrowed.

"You haven't told Him, have you?" he whispered slowly, struck by the realization.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried unsuccessfully to blink them away. Oliver's hands found their way to her shoulders, and he tipped her chin up to brush off one single droplet. He really didn't know what to think of the fact that she didn't trust her husband enough to let him on such thing. Well, he knew all the doubts when it came to revealing his secret identity, but he'd really hoped that there would be no indecision once he had found _the right woman. _Apparently this was not the case. At least, not with Chloe and Jimmy.

Damn, he suddenly felt as if he was walking on a minefield.

But when Chloe closed her eyes and leaned softly into his touch, discussing her marriage problems became, really, the last thing on his mind. His thumb caressed her skin involuntarily and she shivered slightly. Oliver blinked few times, trying hard to stay focused.

"I know it's not easy Chloe," he whispered huskily, and she looked up into his eyes. "You think it was easy for me, back then at the hospital? To let you read me like an open book…? You think it was easy for me, to not shut you out, knowing perfectly how easily you could turn on me?" Oliver's grip on her tightened at the memory and he pulled her even closer, their bodies touching. "But I chose to let you in."

He bore into the green depths of her eyes, his words as heavy with meaning as their breaths.

"Because… because you needed my help, Oliver." she whispered, as if trying to ease the sudden tension.

"Because I needed YOU, Chloe!" he shot back in hoarse whisper. "I need you more than Clark does, for Crack's sake!" He was only inches from her trembling lips when he realised what he was about to do. He blinked, taking in her appearance: her warm body pressed against his, her eyes wide and twirling with mixed emotions, her slightly parted lips… Oliver forced himself to lift his eyes back to hers. He tugged an errant strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed hard, refusing to break the spell yet. He focused his attention on the soft, blonde curls between his fingers. "I'm sorry." he exhaled, her golden hair slowly slipping out of his hold. With his hand suddenly very empty, Oliver searched for her eyes again as reality rushed back to him, "… for manipulating you like that."

Chloe's eyes glinted with recognition before lowering down to his chest. He could see the concealed pain almost resurfacing, for a heart beat only. She didn't say anything, though, and she still let him hold her in his arms.

"Trust me, there isn't a day, when I don't think about what I…" Her finger on his lips paralyzed him.

"I know." Her hand slid quickly back to it's place on his chest. His eyes followed it. "You don't have to explain that to me, not anymore." His eyes probed hers questioningly and she only smiled a small, sad smile. "I understand. What we did was wrong but, I guess, sometimes, we just can't afford to stay innocent… and do nothing. We have both gone trough this hell and… God, let's just hope we won't have to make that choice any time soon..."

Oliver's hands closed around hers, squeezing them lightly but confidently at the same time.

No words were needed.

Her eyes were like an open book and he finally read there all he was looking for: understanding, trust, friendship, confinement, loyalty and something more even, a glimpse of…

"And you know," Chloe startled him, when she freed her hand to smack his arm playfully, "if you really needed your own Sidekick, you could have just told me. Man, if I didn't know you any better I'd have almost thought you were jealous of Clark!" She teased him, shaking her head disbelievingly. "Hmm, Watchtower officially… I don't know. With this new found morality of ours. I'm really not sure where the Lady Justice would got dragged up by her brilliant team…"

A small laugh escaped his chest as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Well, at least Lady Justice won't complain about the lack of the good-looking part, you know…" he shrugged innocently as she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"But seriously," Oliver hooked his arm around her shoulders, guiding her back into his penthouse, „take your time, Chloe. The offer's on the table, whenever you're ready to cut that E.T. umbilical cord of yours."

"Oh, don't you even dare to go there again!" she warned him playfully.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He backed away as the memory of his body flying across a room flashed in his mind . "Don't worry, I don't need to be told twice. Just know that I'm a big boy. I can share."

"Jeez Queen, you really just can't help yourself sometimes, can you?!"

Oliver smiled sheepishly, watching her heading for a coffee. Wave of relief washed over him as they fell easily back into their bantering routine. And yes, for some twisted reason, he really couldn't help himself - trying to keep her as close to him as possible…


End file.
